


Paper Birds

by Hotaru_Mizuno



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alfred murders a lot of people, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arthur kinda a sociopath, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Hitman Jones, Horror, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Origami, Origami birds, Slow Burn, Spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:46:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27102916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotaru_Mizuno/pseuds/Hotaru_Mizuno
Summary: Alfred is by far the strangest person Arthur has met in a long time.
Relationships: America/England (Hetalia)
Kudos: 57





	Paper Birds

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy do. Tis time for a spooky feel fic. This is a Hitman Jones fic I came up with after some thought. Arthur is a bit of a bystander and Alfred is well....Alfred. Hitman edition. i like it so ima post it just in time for the final week or so of October.
> 
> Enjoy^^

"Non-fat frappuccino with extra whipped cream and chocolate sauce."

Arthur paused, his hands still hovering over the buttons on the cash register. Bloody hell. What kind of order was that? Arthur looked up at the man again, still unnerved by that smile on his face.

"Will that be all?" Arthur sighed, deciding it was not at all worth the effort to protest. Besides that…..unnerving facial expression, there wasn't much worth that came with talking to customers. They were usually all dull idiots who simply wanted their coffee anyway.

"How about a blueberry muffin as well?" The man said, grinning just a little wider. Arthur frowned, the smile annoying him to hell and back. Usually it was so easy to tell what was behind a smile, but this man? Arthur couldn't tell in the least and whatever answer he brought up was simply ….off.

"That'll be $13.65 then." Arthur stated, glad he wasn't at least dealing with a customer who took forever to order, in fact this man seemed to know exactly what to order, despite having never even been here. Odd to say to the least.

"Okie dokie then." The man said, digging into his trousers. He was nicely dressed, Arthur will give him that, if a little plain,what with the classic black and white. It went well with his nicely combed, blond hair and blue eyes, hidden behind glasses. But it only made the man seem even more off to Arthur for some reason.

A credit card of some sort was handed to him, and Arthur instantly noticed another oddity: gloves. Leather ones. Arthur furrowed his brow as he took the card, wondering just what the hell was wrong with this person. What are the gloves for then? It was the middle of autumn, and leather at that?

"Something wrong, buddy?" The man asks.

Arthur sighs and shakes his head. "Sorry, just ignore me. I'm not in it today." He muttered, a well orachrested excuse that was guaranteed to work. He gave a glance to the card before swiping it. John Smith, huh? Funny. The man didn't seem like he was twenty-five……

"Really? What's wrong? Not a fan of coffee?" The man, Smith or whatever Arthur supposed, asked.

Arthur looks up, raising an eyebrow. "Pardon me? And how would you know about my preferences?" Yes, of course he didn't like coffee and didn't like the people who ordered it, but how would this man gather that so quickly?

"A lucky guess!" Smith simply says, laughing. The laugh was loud and charismatic but almost ….as if devoid of any really good intention somehow.

Grrr! What was up with Arthur noticing all these weird things! So he was eccentric apparently. Move on, Arthur god dammit! Do your job!

Arthur hurriedly did the transaction, fingers working with speed acquired with a year or so of experience in this field. Within seconds, he yanked up the resets, pushing one on the counter for Mr Mystery to sign. In the meantime, he pulled up an appropriately sized cup and a sharpie.

"Name?" Arthur asked. Yes, he knew it already from reading his card, but most people usually don't like it when complete strangers read their credit cards like that. It tended to hurt his gratuity tips.

"Smith." The man replied.

"You don't look like a Smith." Arthur muttered sarcastically, quickly writing the name down.

"That's a little mean of ya, dontcha think?" Smith said, chuckling a bit under his breath.

"Oh? My apologies. Your order will be ready soon, just wait for it to be called." Arthur said flatly, effectively trying to shoo away the unsettling character.

The Smith person seemed to find this remark amusing, laughing as he strided away. Arthur watched him leave, quickly noticing how confidently the man walked, as if absolutely nothing could pose a problem to him. And yep, that laugh was definitely not good natured sounding at all.

For the remainder of the morning, the man stayed there, enjoying his order inside the shop at a booth next to one of the windows. Arthur was made permanently aware of his presence, even when Arthur was in the very back of the store. The Brit just couldn't help but feel he was there, oddities and all. What's worse, the man seemed to have a habit of staring. At him. For whatever bloody reason he couldn't understand.

It aggravated him. Unnerved him.

And this was only the first time he encountered this person. The man would come back. Many times. In fact he seemed to come in at least once a week now, each time raising even more questions than the last.

A week after the man's first visit , this Smith handed him a different credit card. Well,all things considered it was normal, until Arthur noticed it had a completely different name on it. Jonathan Woods.

"Borrowing this then?" Arthur asked out loud, automatically figuring the question wasn't too weird, considering he was painfully familiar with this Smith man already.

"Maybe." The man simply replies, shrugging. "What? Something wrong, bud?" He asks, looking at him with that smile that had already begun to carve itself a permanent place in his memory. Those eyes of his were getting close to that as well, what with that unsettling gaze; joyful and laid back, yet somehow coming off as…..cold.

Arthur meanly clicked his tongue as he simply did the transaction, annoyed by the other use of the term "buddy" or "pal". It felt oddly….wrong. Fucking hell, what was wrong with this man…..

"I don't suppose you want me to write Woods on the cup?" Arthur snorted sarcastically, not expecting a real answer.

"Yes, actually, thanks!" Alfred said, grinning.

Arthur simply managed to bite back a growl, taking the signed receipt and walking off to go assemble the man's order. What was up with the name change? A different credit card could just be summed up as it being someone else's, but what was the point of using their name for the order as well? It just didn't make much sense.

Arthur couldn't help but let his eyes gravitate toward the man very often as he went about his work, watching the other. The man seemed to barely even do much while drinking his coffee, merely sitting and staring around, often at him for some weird reason. Ironically, he was on his phone most of the time he was there, the only thing actually normal about him. Well, it would be normal, if it weren't for the way he seemed to look at his phone, as if anything he was doing on there wasn't normal at all. He just had that look that did not indicate any normal bystander phone activities.

Yet another large oddity rose soon made itself clear . He started buying more than one beverage, as if for another person. Now this doesn't sound weird, sure, but Arthur had almost thought nothing of it, but….

"Another borrowed credit card, hm?" Arthur snarked, sighing as he took the fourth new card. Osten Eastwood, it said.

"Yeah, see me and a friend decided to chill together. He's kinda late, you know?" Alfred said, that same unsettling smile on his face.

Arthur simply narrowed his eyes. Surely it wasn't supposed to sound inherently suspicious, right? The other just simply didnt' seem like the type for this kind of thing though. Argh, he really wished he could just mind his own business sometimes.

"Whatever. Please just sign your receipt." Arthur sighed, insistently pushing the paper toward him.

"You don't really talk much, do you buddy?" The man continued on, completely ignoring the hint.

"Oh dear, what gave you that idea?" Arthur growled, really quite done with this annoying customer by now. On the long list of bad customers and soccer moms, he was definitely beginning to make his way to the top. "I'll rather just do my job than talk to people, so please just sign the receipt sir."

"Ouch. Feisty, aren't we, bud?" The man chuckled.

"I'd prefer it if you stopped calling me buddy. " Arthur snapped. "We aren't friends."

"Why not?" The man asked, and he was pouting, almost like some kind of stupid kid.

"Why do you think?" Arthur growled, getting more and more irritated by the second. "Just sign the receipt sir."

"Fine, fine, don't blow a vein, pal!" Alfred said, chuckling as he finally took the pen.

Arthur sighed with partial relief as he saw the man scribble a signature in messy handwriting, though the word "pal" wasn't helping at all.

Just as he said, another person came in and sat with Smith. Arthur couldn't help but just glance over and watch them talk, like always. The man seemed to be in his early forties, and looked tense, as if being around the strange man made him nervous. (Not surprising, honestly.)

Arthur didn't like this. It just didn't seem right….

And then during his break, the most disturbing thing happened.

Arthur was taking his break, sipping tea he made in the kitchen and watching the little telly that sat in the break room. It was ancient, probably at least thirty years old by now, but it was entertainment, if a little dull, but it served. The news channel was enough to satisfy him for thirty minutes until he got back to work. It was a routine he was getting tired of lately, but it served. It was inpractical to long for more at the moment anyway

But then……

_"Osten Eastwood, found dead in his car just hours ago….."_

Arthur choked on his tea, instantly recognizing the name. How could he not, given how strange that damn man was. His head turned to the television, staring in shock as the screen showed a picture of the same man that had been in the cafe, the same one who had been enjoying coffee with…..that damned Smith……

No. No. There was no way he had anything to do with it! Now you're just being silly, Arthur! Surely it was just some freak accident! So what if he was murdered in his own car? Surely that…..man had nothing to do with it? He had no proof.

He listened with eager attention, waiting for something, anything to tell him he wasn't going insane, but the news continued to state that there were no witnesses, no clues left behind, no fingerprints, no leads, no anything. It was a complete and utter mystery….

…..So why did he immediately think it was this Smith character? Why would he think that? Sure, they were together…..but he just had that unwavering feeling. Something just didn't add up. It didn't make much sense to him. He knew he was going far more into detail than any normal person, but well…

_Gloves are perfect for concealing fingerprints-_

No. Now, now, Arthur, you're treading on very thin ice now. This Smith man had nothing to do with it. He had no proof except his own discomfort surely. Yes, Arthur was good at reading people, and liked to admit he had rare intelligence, but there just wasn't any proof. Smith could just be a weird, but normal guy who didn't even like the thought of murder.

Yes. That was it. It had to be.

The next day, Arthur stays home from work, finding himself caught with a cold of some kind. It irradiated him to be held back by such weakness, after all he barely ever missed a day of work. As far as he was concerned, it was best to reap each day and week for as much money as it was worth. He didn't have anyone in his life to put aside time for anyway.

But he had to admit, there was a limit. After all, he was human, and it was best to just not go to work when one was sick enough to where they could barely breathe through their nose. Plus, it also tended to hurt his tips count when people saw him sneezing all over the place. Tip money was also valued by Arthur, so it was simply natural that he stay home.

It was almost a relief to not have to worry about the Smith person that day. Arthur could just sit at home and relax, catch up on some reading.

Honestly, it was a relief, not having to talk to another person at all really. He had always thought everyday people were so dull, narrow minded and basic. They all tended to be predictable, and honestly rather stupid sometimes too. Dealing with them everyday at work was a chore. Rarely ever did people surprise him, rarely ever was being around people actually fun. In fact, it seems Smith is the first in a long time to do so. He sometimes wished things wouldn't be like this all time. It was boring to say the least.

His peaceful tranquility was shattered the next day, upon arrival at work. He just could never catch a break…..

"Hey, Kirkland?" One of his co-workers said, approaching him. He didn't remember her name in the least. He was sure it was…...Bella? Bailey? Never mind.

"Yes?" Arthur murmured, brows furrowed in concentration as he carefully piled caramel sauce on the latest order. He always strived for perfection in even the simplest of orders.

"A customer left this for you yesterday,when you were home sick?" The co worker said, shrugging as she handed over a paper card. "Said to give to you when you come back."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. Card? He didn't know anyone. Who on earth….? Unless….?  
Arthur grabbed the card, hastily reading it.

_I missed you :)_

Arthur froze. What was this? What kind of game did Smith think he was playing, sending him this?!

"Kirkland? You alright?" The woman next to him asked, frowning.

"Hm? Yes I'm fine." Arthur snapped, quickly stuffing the problematic paper in his apron. "Just some note."

"Was he your boyfriend or something?" The co-worker teased, smiling.

"No!" Arthur growled. Normal people were so incredibly dull minded sometimes. It was infuriating. "Its just some dumb joke, that's all. I've got to have this order done soon now, so thank you."

"Fine, fine. Was just curious." The co-worker grumbled, but she walked away nonetheless. Arthur's co workers were quite used to Arthur's rather unkind treatment.

Arthur was anticipating the Smith man's next appearance in the cafe that week, almost eager to find out what kind of audacity had led to the man giving him notes like some kid in primary school. This man just kept getting weirder and weirder every week, and it bothered him. That man had to be something, had to be up to something, and Arthur was itching to find out, and he wasn't even entirely sure why. It just bugged him to Hell in back that he could barely make a dent in who this guy was, so much so that it was almost agonizing.

"Did you get my note?" The Smith man asked, smiling widely at him, as if he was eager for an answer. Too eager.

"Yes, it was quite amusing." Arthur sighed sarcastically. "You missed me did you?" He nearly seethed, his frustration starting to become hard to hide.

Smith simply chuckled. "Yes. Anything wrong with that?"

Arthur's eyes scanned for customers behind the other, breathing a small sigh of relief that there were none. "No." He said flatly. "Order?"

"The usual." The other shrugs. Arthur notices the outfit change, noticing the sharp, classy wear was switched for nothing but a plain old shirt and pants. What happened to his regular wear? Perhaps it had been ruined and he had to get new clothe-

Arthur growled under his breath, jabbing the keys rather forcefully now. Don't think about that. Don't think. Not now.

"I did miss you." The Smith man says, leaning over the counter almost playfully.

Arthur glared at him, forcing himself to keep it to a minimum. "I don't see why. Again, we're not friends. Or pals. Or buddies or whatever."

"You're so mean." The man pouts. "We can't be buddies? I like you."

Arthur snorted. "Well, I don't like you. 15 dollars even please." He said, nearly gritting his teeth.

Smith grins, reaching into his pockets. "Then why do you keep staring at me all the time?"

Shit. How had he known? He had been so careful! No one ever knows! "I was not staring." The claimed, a little humiliated by such a potential blunder.

"Dont lie to me, Art." The man chuckles, laying emphasis on the new nickname,as if to tick him off even more. He leans over the counter, causing Arthur to lean away in discomfort. "I know you were. You watch me every single time I'm here, don't you? What makes me so interesting, hm?"

Arthur kept his glare hard, quickly calculating an excuse. Why was Smith looking at him like that? "I wasn't staring at you, and I'd prefer it if you didn't butcher my name like that, you idiot. Now, the money. Please."

Alfred only chuckled, handing over yet another new credit card. It was Smith again. Hmph.

"You're feisty, you know? I like that." Smith said teasingly.

Arthur simply rolled his eyes. "Do you treat all cashiers like this, or am I getting the special treatment?"

"Nope. Just you, sweetheart."

Swe….Sweetheart? Honestly, that was even more infuriating! Arthur none too gently ripped out the receipts. "I'm honoured." He said coldly, stiffly walking off. He didn't even care he had forgotten to give the other his receipt. He could care less.

This ridiculous nickname only continued however, much to Arthur's displeasure. Sweetheart was one far out of line, and it annoyed him how he dared to call him such things. More than even he noticed every single irregularity about the man, as if even his self conscious had begun to be constantly aware of Smith.

Perhaps he was simply much too determined by now to prove to himself that the man was something more than just out of the ordinary. Perhaps he wanted to find some secret, just to feel he had outdone Smith, shown him his place. Perhaps he was just too annoyed by him to leave things alone. Or perhaps it was something Arthur hadn't thought of. He didn't quite care right then why. He just wanted to solve the aggravating mystery was all.

Surely the man had to be something. It had to be. Arthur would sooner quit his job than admit he was a fool. Arthur Kirkland was no fool.

Six more murders are reported on the news as time goes by. Arthur can't help but link each one to some of the unexplained details of Smith. The way some of the names match with his credit card habits. How the murdered woman had been seen with Smith at the cafe, chatting happily as if she had found a new friend. How the man seemed to be so social, yet so isolated. So absent. Everything about him just seemed so suspicious. The same outfit he wore every time he was there, that same smile, that same look,that same…..argh….that everything he supposed.

Bloody hell, when was the last time he had been so obsessed with another person before? This was beyond ridiculous…..

That next week, the Smith man didn't come in at all. Suspicious? No. Not in itself, he would admit. But, of course, even in his absence, Mr Mystery man seemed to always mess with Arthur.

"You're not Smith." Arthur nearly barked before he could stop himself.

The man in front of him is definitely not Smith, but Arthur can see that it is a very close second. He hadn't even seen the other until he realized the man had said his supposed name out loud. Thar in itself was enough.

"What are you talking about?" The man asks. Yep, definitely not Smith. Arthur can tell. The glasses. The hair. How those blue eyes are shades darker. How the man dresses, and most of all, this man is passive. Passive in a way that Smith had never been. This man might have looked so much like, near identical, but Arthr can tell. He's sure he can.

"You're not John Smith." Arthur simply repeats.

"What? You're crazy. Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" The man asks, now sounding nervous. He can read this man. He can tell what's going on in this head. He can't read the Smith.

"Because. Your entire posture is different for one. Smith wouldn't be so polite or sospiciated. And two, he would've called me some ridiculous nickname by now. Would you like me to go on?" Arthur says coldly.

The man sighs. "He was right. You are pretty smart, aren't you? Sorry, here's my money." He hands over the cash. Another thing. Smith had always used cards to pay for his order. Smith has never said sorry. And it seems he never will

"Where is he then? Why does he need you to pretend you're him?" He asks, proceeding with the transaction. The coffee order is incredibly simple, much more simple than anything Smith has always ordered.

"I can't tell you that." The man smiles softly. He doesn't smile like Smith. His smile is light and soft, unlike the other. There wasn't much mystery behind it at all. "I'll be taking it to go by the way, if you don't mind."

Hmph. And much, much more polite. "I don't." Arthur murmurs, relenting as he gives the man his receipt. "Name?"

"Matthew Jones."

Matthew leaves with order, almost passively. He didn't seem bothered by the fact Arthur had instantly realized he wasn't Smith. Or perhaps he was just doing a really good job of hiding it. Arthur doesn't know.

What he almost desperately wanted to know was what was going on. Why would someone need to pretend to be Smith? What was up with that? It was obvious Matthew was a sibling of some kind, a twin at best. It wasn't possible he was anything else. But his last name was Jones. Was that…..Smith's surname as well? At this point, he was beginning to wonder if that name had anything at all to do with that man.

There had to be something more. There was no way this string of oddities were just stupid conincdences. And Arthur swore he was going to find out.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Hey."

"Please don't pull on my apron, Smith." Arthur growled, pulling back his uniform from the other's grabby hands. He eyed the table, realizing the man hadn't even ordered yet. "What do you want?"

"You have a lunch break don't you?" Smith inquired, looking up at him intently.

Arthur frowned. Yes he did, as a matter of fact. "I do. Why does that concern you exactly?" Arthur asked, glaring at him for daring to interrupt his work.

"Come sit with me." Smith says. It's not a request. It's a demand, Arthur can tell just by looking at that smile on his face.

"Why?" Arthur hissed, hating that smile all the while. Why should he have to spend his lunch break with this freak? Wasn't having him around enough?

"I'll get us both coffee too. I just wanna talk, ya know, sweetie?" Smith continued, a smile curling upward. "Please?"

Arthur grumbles. The man didn't mean that "please" part. He just said to try and convince him to relent. Or perhaps he was just taunting him at this point. He strongly suspected the latter. He really doesn't want to spend his precious hour of break time with him. But then again, it would be nice to get some answers out of him. A chance to have a real, actually long and full conversation with him…..

"Fine." Arthur muttered crossly. "My break starts at one."

Smith smiles wider. "I'll be waiting."

At first it's awkward. Arthur sits down in the booth, where an order is already sitting there waiting for him. It's tea, hot and satisfying. Arthur takes a judgmental sip, and soon finds it somehow perfect in every way. The other had known just what to order apparently.

Smith stares at him the entire time, as if calculating his response to the tea he had gotten him. "Do you like it, sweetheart? "

Arthur glared over at him. "It'll suffice." He says. He remembers in the back of his head that this is the very same position most of those murdered victims from the news had been in. Perhaps he should be more nervous than he was right now, but he didn't quite feel that. He didn't feel as if we were in danger, strangely enough. Rather, he felt as if he were about to be interrogated.

Speaking of which- "Your name isn't really John Smith, is it?" Arthur asks, hiding how eager he was for an answer.

Smith laughs. He seems almost focused on Arthur and Arthur alone, as if watching him. Judging him. Taking note of his every move. "You're a smart one, aren't cha? Awesome. It gets boring without people like you around."

Arthur scowls at him. "Answer my question, idiot."

He only laughs again, shaking his head a little. "Fine fine. Yes. You've guessed it. Smith isn't my name. Never was."

Arthur harden's his gaze as a little flame or satisfaction bursts through his head. Ah. He knew it. "I knew it." He says. "So then, what's your real name then?"

He almost expects to not get an answer, but to his surprise; "Alfred." The man says.

Arthur pauses. "Alfred." He repeats.

"Yep." The man called Alfred says.

"How do I know this isn't another false name meant to stop me from asking?" Arthur says coldly. He could always tell when someone was lying. The fidgeting. The eye turns. But thus Alfred doesn't do any of that.

Alfred smirks. "You're so much fun sweetie. I'm gonna go broke here spending so much coffee just to see you."

Pardon? What the bloody hell did that mean? Arthur tries to remain indifferent. "Then stop coming. I hardly think I'm an excuse to keep wasting money on shitty coffee. Would do me a favor."

Alfred chuckled at that. "That's mean. Does your boss care that you treat such a faithful customer like this?"

"Stop wasting my time." Arthur snapped, temper starting to flare. Damn Smith. Alfred. Whatever the bloody heck this man's name was. "Is it your name or not?"

"It is." Alfred says, shrugging. "Happy now, sweetheart?"

"Well, I will be when you stop calling me that."Arthur grumbles.

"But I like calling you that." Alfred whines childishly. He's finished his coffee by now, his gloved hands fiddling with a napkin now. The sounds annoy Arthur, causing him to hold his tea tighter.

"Don't care. It's inappropriate and highly annoying." Arthur snapped back.

"Whatever you say." Alfred chirps teasingly, his fingers now folding the napkin into some sort of shape. His fingers were precise, fast and skilled. It was the kind of hand using skill that took years in a field of practice to adopt. And just the way his fingers moved…..they almost seemed at home on the other end of a weapon……

"You come here at least twice a week." Arthur begins, a little hesitant on what exactly to bring up with him. He knew the answer would be heavy either way.

"Yeah. I like coffee. Keeps me focused and stuff. Keeps me on the job." Alfred says, sticking his tongue out as if in deep concentration. The action alone annoys Arthir, bothered by the fact the other man's attention is elsewhere. How rude.

"What exactly do you do for a job then?" Arthur snorts out of spite. "You come in all the time. Morning, noon, afternoon. Surely you don't have a schedule."

"I do!" Alfred protests. "You're rather nosey, aren't cha'? That's personal details, sweetie."

Fucking hell. "The right to call me that is bloody personal details." Arthur growls.

"Damn, okay." Alfred laughs. He holds up the napkin, now folded into a perfect swan shape. "Look! I made a birdie!"

What…..? Arthur frowns, completely taken aback. "I…...what?"

"It's a little paper swan!" Alfred says, pushing the origami creation in Arthur's face. "Look! Ain't he cute?"

Bloody fucking hell. This man was a fucking child trapped in a man's body. How can he have a normal, serious conversation with this crazy idiot when he's folding bloody napkins into birds? "Charming." Arthur sighs, propping his head on his chin as he sipped the last of his tea. At this rate he may need another cup.

"What should I name him?" Alfred has the audacity to ask next. "Kevin?"

"Sure. Perfect." Arthur grounds out, half surprised by such an act, half irritated. This man got crazier and crazier everyday……

"Oh, don't be mean, I was just having fun." Alfred chuckles. He puts the paper swan on the top of his empty coffee cup, smiling at it with satisfaction. "Okay, so yeah, what?"

"What?" Arthur spat sarcastically. "Not going to make a friend for him?"

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Alfred said, perking up.

"No. Don't. Never mind." Arthur growls. Figures. Bloody prat. "What do you do for a job then?"

"Eh. Can't actually tell you that. It's a secret. Really big secret. Major." Alfred says, shaking his head. "You understand, don't you, sweet-cheeks?"

Arthur narrows his eyes. Arthur knows that meant he was hiding something. "Of course." He said stiffly. "My apologies."

"No need. I know you don't mean it." Alfred chuckles.

Arthur's frown digs downward. "Fine then-"

"You met my brother yesterday, didn't you?" Alfred interrupts him, leaning forward in his seat again.

Arthur pauses, starting to feel that familiar feeling of discomfort. "Well….yes. So that was your brother then? Matthew?"

"Yep. Nice fellow, ain't he?" Alfred beams. "Lots of people mistake him for me all the time you know. It's weird, considering how quiet he is. He's kinda a ghost."

"He was pretending to be you." Arthur corrects him. Not knowing the reason why had been digging into his side.

"Yeaaaah." Alfred hums, seemingly entirely indifferent about such a thing. "What about it?"

"Seems rather ordinary to me." Arthur said simply. "Why even bother? Unless he was covering for you or something of course. Care to explain….?"

"Mmmm. I thought your smart little mind might make a connection." Alfred says, seemingly interested in this. "He's rather helpful, when I need to be places and just simply can't make the time, ya know? It's a sort of agreement we have."

"No, I don't know." Arthur said coldly, raising an eyebrow. "You just credited me for being smart. Don't expect me to buy that, it's that casual and simple."

"It's not!" Alfred laughs. "You're awfully demanding, aren't you sweetheart?"

"Oh?" Arthur says, clicking his tongue. "And you're awfully annoying."

"Ouch. That hurt." Alfred quips, giggling to himself. "This is fun. I love this. We should do this more often. You and I. Coffee. I love talking to you. Everyone else is soooooo boring."

Arthur cocks an eyebrow. "Boring? And I'm not?"

"You're the opposite of boring! You're not stupid and dumb and dull like everyone else. I like you." Alfred continues, as if a child had found a new playmate. He grins. "We should really do this more often."

Arthur glares at him, a chill slowly traveling down his spine at such words. It was unnerving to say the least to have someone be fixated on him…..in such a way. But, it was an opportunity to get to the bottom of his suspicious behavior. Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't excited at such an opportunity.

"Perhaps it would be better than watching the news in the break room." Arthur slowly relents, although sounding very reluctant. He didn't wish to give the crazy idiot the satisfaction.

"Good. I look forward to it then, sweetie." Alfred says, smiling. He glances at his watch. "I've gotta go. Gotta go do something, okay?"

"Alright then." Arthur sighs, watching him get up. He recoils a little when Alfred picks up the paper swan and pushes it towards him. "What….?"

"Take it!" Alfred insists. "It's a gift for you! A new friend!"

Arthur takes the paper figure in his hands gingerly, grumbling all the while. "Oh how generous. I get to take Kevin home?"

"Yep!" Alfred beams, seemingly very proud of himself.

"Great." Arthur, holding the creation awkwardly. "Thanks."

Alfred chuckles. "Don't throw it away or anything, okay?"

"Of course." Arthur nods.

"Cool!" Alfred shoves his hands in the pockets of slacks, flashing Arthur one last, unnerving smile. "See ya, kay? Bye!"

"Yes. Farewell then." Arthur says, nodding him goodbye. He felt a little wash of relief as he watched him walk towards the door, glad his time with the strange character was over. He was a little sore he didn't get to know more…..

So Smith had been nothing but a fake name then. How odd. No normal person would need to keep up fake identities like that. Well. It was satisfying to know how right he had been, that this Alfred really was far from normal. Whether or not he had anything to do with those murders were another story. One Arthur was eager to find out.

____________

"You threw Kevin away, didn't you?"

"I….pardon me?" Arthur asked, having no idea what Alfred was talking about.

Alfred sipped his coffee rather loudly, smirking over at him. "You threw away the paper swan I made you."

Arthur's cheeks turned pink, his finger gripping his tea harder. "I didn't!" That was unnerving. How did he figure that out?

"Yeah, you did. I know you did." Alfred insists. He doesn't seem very offended by this, however. He simply grabs another napkin instead. "That's okay! I'll just make ya a new one! A better one. Do you like peacocks?"

"A…..Alright then." Arthur muttered, watching Alfred fold the napkin into a square,base shape. How eccentric. Making birds out of dinner napkins. "So …..you like making paper animals, do you?"

"Yep. Like I said, I like keeping my hands occupied." Alfred chirps. "I have other hobbies too ya know. It's a lot of fun, what I do?"

Arthur listens intently. "And what do you do?" He asked, hoping to nudge Alfred into giving a helpful response.

"Nice try, sweetheart. I ain't tell you nothing." Alfred chuckles, winking at him before resuming his work.

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek to quell his growing frustration. Did he think this was some sort of stupid game?? Taunting him like that? Bloody hell, he couldn't take this much longer! "That's alright. "

"So what do you do? You know, other than make coffee for people all day?"

"I visit the library once a week." Arthur answers. There really wasn't much else to his life other than work and his little hobbies. No other people. No other big ambitions. Perhaps he wished for a new spin on things, but…. "I don't do much beyond that. "

"Wait, really?" Alfred says, looking up in amusement. "You don't do anything other than work? Friends? Family? Anything?"

"My family are all back in England, most likely glad to see the back of me." Arthur spat. His brothers were all idiots, and his parents were idiots who loved them. Arthur was always the overshadowed one, the one no one understood. And he had never cared.

"Yeesh okay. Bad topic then." Alfred says. "I suspected you looked like you didn't have any friends but wow. You really don't talk to anyone?"

"Waste of my time." Arthur answered, taking one last sip of his tea. Most people were usually too unmotivated by his cold, stiff and intelligence valuing demeanor anyway. Arthur was better off alone in this case

"Gotcha' then." Alfred shrugs. He holds up his napkin, now a perfectly finished peacock. "There! Ain't that a perfect little king?"

"Yes. Lovely." Perhaps Alfred was quite impressive, the back feathers even being able to be moved into an upward position. Arthur would never give him the credit though.

"You can name it this time,sweetie." Alfred insists, pushing it forward.

Bloody fuck. How exciting. Truly. "Oh?" Arthur says, looking unimpressed as he eyed the paper bird. "I suppose….William?" Arthur sighs, suggesting the first word that came out of his head.

"Ha I like it. Little Willy." Alfred laughs. Arthur nods,beginning to long for when this ridiculous conversation was over. "Take good care of him this time, kay? No throwing him away or anything."

"Of course." Arthur confirmed, a little overwhelmed.

"You sound annoyed with me sweetie." Alfred comments casual, beginning to polish off the rest of his coffee.

Arthur gripped his teacup harder. Bloody prick. "I know you're hiding something. I just can't figure out what."

Alfred snorts childishly. "Really?" He says, almost mockingly.

Perhaps he is jumping too much of a hurdle, telling him this, but Arthur wasn't willing to care. He knew he was right. He knew. "Yes. Really. I've been noticing more and more suspicious things about you all the time."

"Which means what?" Alfred says, as if teasing him.

Arthur surpasses a growl. Just barely. "Those people you keep taking out for coffee here, those friends of yours. How is it that they've all turned up dead not even a week later?"

Any normal person would be offended, being linked to such a crime, but of course, Alfred only smirks. "Really? Is that so? You think I have something to do with them, don't you, sweetheart?"

"I don't just think." Arthur snaps, wanting to make sure he was going to be taken seriously. "I know. I just haven't worked out the details yet."

Alfred laughs at that, looking quite amused. He didn't even look worried that such a secret could be poured out in front of him. In fact it almost seems like he didn't even care. "That's not a very nice thing to be doing,sweetie, accusing me of murder. I'm a very nice guy you know. What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not." Arthur says flatly.

"Okay, okay." Alfred says, holding up his hands in mock surrender. He smirks at him mischievously. "So tell me then, Mr. Smarty-pants. Why do you think I would be the one to have killed those poor, innocent people?"

They stared at each other for a little while, as if Alfred was silently challenging him. Arthur stared back, gaze cold, almost as cold as those eyes. Those cold, blue eyes. Arthur couldn't so much as tell a single thought.

"I just know. And I will find out." Arthur said.

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Arthur glared hard. "Very."

Alfred looked at him for a few more minutes before shrugging. "Alright."

Arthur blinked. "What?" He said. No matter how many times he thought he saw the strangest of this man, he always managed to top the list.

"I won't stop you." Alfred says, smirking. "It might even be fun, I'd say."

Hmph. This man was completely mad. "Fine. Have it your way then." Arthur sighs. He supposed he should've expected as much. Oh well. His point still stood. Very much so.

"Do you mind if I make another order?" Alfred says.

Arthur blinks, taken aback by the sudden radical change in topic. Why must he do that all the time? How did anyone find conversation with his man anything but hell?! "Why are you asking me for permission?" He snarked.

"Cuz'. Wanted to know if you wanted anything. You look like you are really itching for another cuppa." Alfred said. "Was just being nice, sweetie."

Another cup of tea would be rather nice. Of course he knew that. "Fine. If you're so willing to be nice." Arthur muttered, pushing away his empty tea cup. Arthur would never pass up such an opportunity.

"Of course, anything for you sweetheart."

_____________

Arthur growled to himself irritably as he watched Alfred walk out the door again.

It had been a few weeks or so since Alfred had begun insisting they share coffee together. They had all been irritatingly the same. Alfred would tease him, dangle all the answers out of Arthur's reach, and act annoying all the way. Arthur had learned next to nothing, and just the thought was even to make Arthur lose his focus during the process of several orders, one of which had put him at the mercy of an angry customer, one of which really overreacted in Arthur's opinion. Stupid idiots and their coffee.

Arthur cast glaring eyes at the table Alfred had been sitting at, eyeing the trash he would have to collect. Alfred had continued making birds out of the napkins, all of which he insisted upon Arthur taking ownership of for some blasted reason. Not only did he have a peacock, but he had two different ducks, a robin, and an eagle as well, all taking up space in his room.

It was always annoying when customers left messes everywhere, inconsiderate of the people being paid to clean it up. At least Alfred had been decent enough. Wait a minute…..

Arthur strode over to get a closer look, only to find his initial thought was right. Sitting next to the empty coffee cup was a phone. Alfred's phone. He had left it behind .

Arthur suddenly felt excitement flash through him like a bolt of lightning. This was his chance! Arthur picked the phone up, examining it in his hands, almost as if he couldn't believe this was true. He hadn't taken Alfred for the type to just leave such valuable possessions anywhere….perhaps….

No. Information was more valuable now. That annoying prick could come back for it any second. Arthur quickly glanced around for other onlookers, before slowly turning on the phone.

_No passcode._

Arthur couldn't believe it. No passcode. Not a single barrier was between him and all of the personal secrets of this man. Bloody hell, was this even real? Or some bloody joke? Well, to tell one thing, if it were, Alfred was never getting a good cup of coffee at this establishment again.

Arthur slowly swiped up, watching as he was met with rows and rows of applications and words. Holy shit. It can't be this easy. It can't. Surely.

But Arthur swipes on, and it becomes as clear as day that apparently it is. Suddenly, Arthur had in his hands a huge potential for a countless amount of answers. Ones Arthur had been longing for for months! Thus was bloody brilliant! Arthur couldn't help but smirk to himself in his newfound victory. Finally! Finally…..

Arthur checked his watch, satisfied that his quitting time was an hour away. Perfect. Plenty of time to crack just what Alfred was up to. Just what was going on in that head. Alfred was crazy, perhaps a murderer, and now he could finally find his proof.

Maybe even catch him in the act. That sounded interesting …...

____________________

Arthur's heart raced with excitement under his coat.

The November air nipped at his face, but he paid it no mind. His mind was elsewhere.

If he had read those texts correctly, Alfred would be here. Here, behind this warehouse, meeting somebody. Perhaps it was a major breach of privacy that he came univintied to what seemed like a private meeting, but Arthur did not care. He did not believe for one minute that this so-called meeting was under good intentions.

Arthur pulled his coat tighter around himself. It was quite cold for a late autumn night, almost ridiculous in fact. Not to mention this location wasn't exactly an ideal place for a car to get to. All the more evidence that something very interesting was going to happen. Arthur knew it.

This place was certainly sketchy though, if Arthur were being honest. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He wasn't exactly the best at defending himself. This better bloody be worth it.

A crash rang out, echoing amongst the tall, steel walls. Arthur jumped, heart racing far faster than before. Bollocks!

Voices. Loud ones. Yelling. Shouting. Arthur felt anticipation speed throughout his veins. This had to be it! It had to be!

Arthur took off running in the direction of the voices, not even hesitating for one moment. Hesitation wasted time! Cold air pushed past him viciously as he ran, going on and on until the voices got louder, louder and louder-

Arthur nearly tripped over his own feet as he got a glimpse of people. Shit- Arthur quickly scrambled back to his feet, heart beating in his ears madly. Shit. Holy shit. Bloody shit…..

Arthur swallowed, and quickly turned his head around the corner.

What met him was blood.

Blood was everywhere. Everywhere. The ground, the walls. Arthur's vision was swimming in it. Standing right in the middle of it all was Alfred himself, the man of the hour, a gun in his hand, pointed right at another man, who looked absolutely petrified. He stood there shaking, terrified.

Arthur's eyes slowly widened as he watched Alfred advance on the poor man, both too caught up in the moment to even notice that he was there. Alfred was smiling! That same smile, except almost even worse,almost crazed even, his clothes covered in blood.

"P-Please! You don't have to do this! We can talk about this! C-Come on!" The man's pleading voice rang out, pathetic and terrified. Arthur's breath caught in his throat as he saw an obviously dead pair of men feet away from him, littered with gunshots. Alfred wasn't just crazy. He seemed to be a blood crazed psychopath….

"Do you really think I'm gonna be interested in whatever you got to offer?" Alfred answered. His voice was calm, but although clearly amused. He was enjoying this, more than Arthur would've ever thought of until now. "C'mon! I already killed your guards, ya know. I-"

"W-What's this guy paying you?" The man cut in, getting more and more desperate by the second. Every second that Alfred kept drawing out more and more. He had him cornered! It was like he was a cat playing with an already dying mouse! "L-Listen, I'll pay you double! Triple! Okay? P-Pleas-"

"Ugh, you're really just gonna offer me money? Boring!" Alfred sang, childishly swinging the gun in his hand. "Everyone offers me money, come on man. Oh well." He shrugs and as if he's finally taking his final kill seriously, aims the gun, right at the trembling man's shoulder. "Nighty night!~"

Arthur braced himself for the ringing sound of a gunshot, but none came. The man lunged forward at the murderer, a shrill cry echoing against the walls. What resulted was a large scuffle, the man clearly desperate to halt all attempts on his life.

And all the while Arthur stared, eyes wide open in shock as he watched the two men fight on the blood stained ground, Alfred clearly already gaining the upper hand. He had been expecting something particularly dark,but not this! This was….this was, well, Arthur couldn't find the correct words! This was far more than he could've ever hoped!

Arthur's stomach leapt in his throat as he heard a grunt, another sound,and then with a loud noise, the gun that had been in Alfred's hand was clattering to the floor, skidding across the grass until it stopped at Arthur's feet.

A growling sound, and then the man was pinned under Alfred's weight. But something was missing. Alfred turned around, and his eyes caught full sight of Arthur, standing there, the gun at his feet.

Alfred's bloody face pulled into a grin. "Well, what a surprise! Hi sweetie!" Alfred greets him, as if this was perfectly normal. He growled a little as the man shifted around desperately under his weight like a wounded animal. His smile turned sinister. "Do you mind helping me out and grabbing that gun for me? Please, sweetheart?"

"W-What?! No! Don't listen to him!" The man underneath the murderer cried out. "He's a murderer! He's crazy! Shoot him! Shoot him!"

"Oh shut up, will you? You're very annoying." Alfred groaned. "C'mon, Sweetie! Don't just stand there. Don't leave a friend hanging!"

Arthur stood there frozen,unsure of what to do. This man was obviously a crazed murderer! And he had the only weapon between all three of them at a hand's reach! What was he supposed to do?!

Arthur swallowed as he reached down and grabbed the sleek, black metal of the gun on the ground. He watched the man continue on with his desperate jerking, his shrill cries. How Alfred seemed to smile all the while, only just amused by how desperate the man was to not be murdered. Arthur blinked, his mind racing…. What could he do……..what on earth could he do…...and suddenly just what to do rang at him in his mind…….

He slowly raised the gun, and in the next second- _Bang!_

The man's face exploded with blood, his head falling lifeless to the ground.

Time froze. Arthur's breath fell in short bursts as he stared in shock at what he had just done, stared as the blood pooled on the ground, stared as Alfred slowly released the now dead man. Arthur blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. He had just killed a man…….he had just shot a man in the head…..

Alfred slowly stood up, and with a noise of amusement, gave the dead man a light kick. The corpse rolled over lifelessly, blood splattering everywhere in a gruesome mess. Arthur's nose twitched at the sight…..how gross…..how…...sasif-

Alfred whistled, snapping Arthur out of his stupor. "Woooow." Alfred sang, chuckling a little. "You made the kill. Damn. For a second there I thought you were gonna shoot me, not him."

Arthur only made a grunt, still not all collected in his mind. He watched as Alfred stepped over the body, his bloody boots making slight noises in the puddles below his feet. He reached up and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He had never taken a life like that before…..why did he feel…...was he satisfied by this?

"You there? Sweetheart?" Alfred asks. Arthur flinches as a hand is waved in front of his face.

Arthur shook his head, trying to snap all his thoughts into place as he mustered up a cold glare at the apparent killer in front of him. "Who the bloody hell are you?" He demanded.

Alfred burst out laughing, further frustrating Arthur. In a hasty spout of anger, Arthur jabbed the gun in Alfred's direction. "I'm not playing around, Alfred Jones." He spat. "Who the hell are you?"

"You looked at my phone,didn't cha'?" Alfred shrugged, not at all threatened by the gun being pointed at him. "You heard that man and his stupid pleas. You're smart enough to make a connection aren't you?"

Arthur growled, not liking the answer. His mind raced for a second. Then; "You're some kind of killer for hire, aren't you? A-"

"Hitman?" Alfred provided, smirking. The smirk seems to no longer provide Arthur much discomfort, weirdly. "Thought you might figure it out. Ever heard my name before?"

"Vaguely.It's possible." Arthur admitted after a minute. All of the fake names and credit cards now made sense. And the gloves too. Of Course he wouldn't be so keen to give himself away.

"Good. Like to know I'm doing my job. Nobody else really knows my name. Other than a few select people. Like you." Alfred said, pointing at him.

"Who were those people I just helped you murder?" Arthur decided to demand next.

"Higher ups from an underground organization. Drug dealers. The usual when it comes to my job, ya know." Alfred summarizes casually. "It was simple. Deceive them, make them come out here, and then shooty shoot time."

"Shoot?" Arthur repeated, a little baffled. He glanced around the scene. "There's blood everywhere! You weren't even doing a clean job, you didn't even aim for a one shot kill with that man. You were drawing it out." He sighed. "You were enjoying it."

"Maybe I was." Alfred says, sounding slightly hurt in a childish way. "Problem? You're the one who just killed that guy!"

"I know, alright!" Arthur snapped. He huffed. It was a little surreal to remember how it felt. How the blood spread throughout the grass. That feeling he had just watching. "And your brother then. Why was he pretending to be you? So you could run off and make these kills?"

"Matthew is a great little placeholder when I need to be in two places at once." Alfred said casually. "When they see him, they'll assume it's just me, being a normal person or whatever. You know, and not going out to go do my job? Killing people?"

"And he does this for you?" Arthur asked mildly, raising his eyebrows.

"He and I have been working together in this for a long time." Alfred simply concluded.

Arthur thought, but then decided to leave that question behind in favor of the bigger ones.  
"You left your phone behind so I could come out here and find you, didn't you? Why?"

Alfred merely smirked. "I knew you were getting close to figuring me out. You're deadly smart. You know? I knew I couldn't keep you from figuring it out. I couldn't just keep pulling out lies to you just like I do everyone else."

Arthur frowned. "But what if I decided to just turn you over to the police?"

"Well, are you gonna then?" Alfred said teasingly. "You know, I really don't care. It just means I gotta switch locations again. It's a lost cause. I've been evading them my whole life. They barely even know I exist."

Arthur hesitated for a few seconds, and shook his head. "I'm not going to turn you over to the police." He concluded sighing. "It would be rather tragic to try and sabotage your little career, now wouldn't it?" He said honestly, looking up at him.

Alfred whistled again. "Hm. Seems my assumption work wasn't in vain." Alfred says, laughing. "Can I have my gun back bow, sweetie?"

Arthur slowly handed with the gun, watching as Alfred took it like he was reunited with some lost toy. "So…...now what?"

"What?" Arthur repeated.

"Well, Now what, do you plan to sit here all night or something?" Alfred joked. "I would rather leave the crime scene soon, you know. Get all of this blood off me."

Arthur sighed to himself. What was he going to do? What would he do with this information? He had been so caught up in actually discovering that he had not much of what came afterwards. So what does he do now?

Hm…...he couldn't help but remember what it felt to kill that man. To rip away his life. He couldn't deny how strangely satisfying it was. How interesting he had thought Alfred's career was. Though he was a total pain in the arse, it would be a shame to pass up an opportunity like this. Perhaps this could be that change he had been hoping for…..

"I…...have a proposition for you." Arthur began slowly.

Alfred seemed to look surprised. "Really then….? What is it?"

Arthur opened his mouth, but recoiled as he breathed in that smell. Ugh. How disgusting. "Perhaps we could discuss this someplace else? The smell is killing me."

Alfred merely shrugged, glancing around the mess the both of them had made. "Really? I've gotten used to the smell. It's kinda nice actually."

Arthur grimaced. "No. I'd rather not really. Don't you have a residence? Someplace you live? Where there's a lack of dead bodies and blood?"

"Okay, okay." Alfred said,giggling. "You know, I thought you were cute, but I never thought I'd get to have you over at my house, sweetie."

Arthur's cheeks burned pink. "Don't make me regret not putting a bullet between your eyes, you idiot!" He said, glaring at him.

"Ouch! You're such a meanie!" Alfred says tauntingly. He makes to wipe his glasses free of blood, laughing all the way. "Alright, alright. I assume you drove here?"

Arthur frowned. "Yes? Why?"

"I took a cab." Alfred shrugged. "Owning a car tends to put my recent businesses on the map."

Arthur wrinkled his nose, giving Alfred's blood ridden clothes a look. "You really think I'm comfortable with you in my car? With blood all over your clothes? All over my seats?"

"What? Aw come on!" Alfred whined. "Fine, look, I'll do you a solid and help you clean up all the blood that ends up in your car, okay? Deal?"

"Deal." Arthur relented, satisfied with that. "C'mon then. This is rather important after all." He said pointedly, looking up at Alfred. a smirk grew on his face instinctively just at the thought. This was going to be quite interesting. Perhaps even amusing…

"Well then, ladies first, sweetie. " Alfred answered, smiling right back.

Arthur merely rolled his eyes at the remark, beginning to lead the way back to his car, Alfred hot on his heels. Neither of them paid the dead bodies now behind them another look. They would be left there, to be discovered, and not a single person will ever know it was them.

And it was just the beginning.


End file.
